ONEONTA _ Mayor Dick Miller challenged the arts community Saturday to get organized to help themselves and the community.
At the Mayor's Summit on Arts and Entertainment, Miller offered help from City Hall. He also asked for volunteers to form a task force to consider options, such as forming a consortium and hiring a coordinator.
A plan needs to be developed that not only supports an arts and entertainment sector, Miller said, but also makes it part of the economic engine that benefits the entire community.
"I'm not prepared to let this opportunity get by," Miller said.
Discussions and studies during the past two decades have referred to Oneonta's development as a hub for arts and entertainment, Miller told about 85 people attending the summit at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center.
"For 20 years, no one has held this meeting," Miller said. "That has sub-optimized your organizations."
Artists, representatives of performance groups and arts organizations, aldermen and supporters met at the center on Market Street downtown. Participants, seated at about six to eight per table, discussed the arts in the community.
After about 45 minutes, a representative from each of the 12 tables reported ideas and remarks from the group.
Several speakers supported a professional, paid coordinator somehow supported by the city. Funding for the arts also was a concern.
Kathy Tobiassen, president of local production company Orpheus Theatre, said the arts community has been lacking a point person in city government.
"We've been talking about the arts being beneficial to the community," she told Miller. "What is the city going to do for us?"
Miller, who wants to draw dollars into the community from outside the area, said he would support financial requests to the city as part of a plan with a component for economic return. Funding requests need approval of the Common Council, he said.
"I'm not in this for the arts _ I'm in this for the economy," Miller said. "I'm not against the arts for arts sake _ this is a financial situation."
During the past year, financial and leadership problems have plagued Foothills and the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts, an Oneonta-based organization that has long provided gallery space and resources to artists and the community.
Miller, who is interim chairman of the Foothills board of directors, had proposed forming a group, possibly called "The Greater Oneonta Community Arts and Entertainment Consortium." He also suggested arts activities be tied in with existing events, such as the General Clinton Canoe Regatta and promoting "Life Enjoyed Weekends" to markets 100 miles away and beyond.
Some suggestions, remarks and ideas raised after the discussion sessions at Saturday's meeting included:
"¢ Establish a single calendar to use for scheduling events one or two years ahead and designating an official online calendar for the public to access.
"¢ Form an organization or retool an existing one to be an alliance for artists, arts groups, performers and others. The organization could be modeled after the United Way model -- it would have a board and would administer funding generated by contributions and funding resources.
"¢ Hire a coordinator to work with artists, performers and organizations on the calendar, promoting events, business, education, networking and other issues.
Timothy Newton, director of the Catskill Choral Society, was among speakers who raised objections to the idea of a single person paid to coordinate the arts community.
"Our best interests are represented by us," Newton said.
Several speakers said any organization formed should include board members from the business community.
The local arts community represents a large resource of human assets, but the energy is fragmented and needs to be refocused to head in the same direction, Miller said.
The mayor said more-structured options need to be developed to be reviewed at a meeting, perhaps in a month. About five people had volunteered to be on a task force to work on ideas. He asked anyone interested in serving on the task force to contact him at City Hall.
The city of Oneonta has about $5 million in unrestricted reserves held in anticipation of an economic shock, Miller said. The funds may be used to repair sewer lines or to create economic activity, such as supporting an arts and entertainment initiative, he said.
"We have to spend money to make money," Miller said. A possibility is to expand the downtown developer position to include arts development, he said, or to expand Main Street Oneonta.
Miller said his "fast reaction" was not to support an "Office of the Arts" at City Hall. But there is space in City Hall where arts-supporting activities could be located, he said.
After the meeting, Miller said: "I'm very pleased with the outcome."
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Mayor suggests Oneonta arts be organized, promoted
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